Equestrian Belfast Indoor International: Britain's Andrew Davies lifted last night's £81,000 Envirocare Grand Prix in flying style at Belfast's Odyssey arena, but it was compatriot Robert Smith who was the runaway winner of the leading rider award at the inaugural Belfast Indoor International.
The 42-year-old Warwickshire-based rider, son of the legendary Harvey Smith, notched up four wins and five seconds to his credit to clinch the £30,000 Mercedes Coupe put up by McVeigh Motors for the most successful rider at the four-day fixture.
Smith scored a double and a second on the opening day, followed by a win and another short-head on Friday. He was kept in the bridesmaid's slot three times over the weekend before breaking back into the winner's enclosure in yesterday's Days Hotel speed stakes when he established himself at the head of the field virtually from the outset and nobody could topple him.
But Smith failed to add the Grand Prix to his haul and instead it was Davies, winner of the earlier Balloo six-bar, who came off best in a nine-horse jump-off to cherrypick the £27,000 on offer to the victor.
Drawn third against the clock, Smith tried to take on the target set by fellow Briton Nick Skelton, but a fence down eventually left him fifth. He was followed into the ring by Davies and, with Limbo V tuned to perfection, the Welshman annihilated Skelton's time, wiping off over two and a half seconds and no one else came close.
Only two others were faultless again, with Cian O'Connor keeping the Irish in the line-up when slotting into fourth with Waterford Crystal behind Switzerland's Daniel Etter on Hermine Imperiale.
With the biggest crowd of the week flocking into the Odyssey Arena for Saturday night's Equestrian Sports Promotions Puissance, the class was something of a damp squib, with only Breul and Farceur de Haul scaling the 2.10 metre edifice to claim the £6,000 winner's purse in the third round. Puissance competitions usually go the full five rounds, but when Breul's five remaining rivals all faulted, the Frenchman was left out on his own.
It was the only mildly disappointing moment in an otherwise action-packed four days. Event director Theresa McKenna, who battled against the tide to put the show onto the international fixture list, estimates that close to £1 million will have gone into the undertaking.
The public perception of the show has certainly been good and audience numbers will undoubtedly increase when the fixture moves to a December date next year. An application to host a World Cup qualifier has also been mooted.
The home side may have failed to pierce the British armoury in Belfast, but world champion Dermott Lennon at least kept the Irish flag flying in Stockholm when claiming Saturday night's two-phase with the 11-year-old stallion BMC's Kupido. A time of 33.79 put the Co Down rider to the top of the line-up, with almost a second and a half to spare over Dutchman Eric van der Vleuten, while Lennon's compatriot Niall Talbot was a further .78 of a second adrift in third.
